Fringe In A Decade
by AnimeArchAngel
Summary: AU ending to 3.14 "6B". What happens when Olivia and Peter are trapped in the Amber for ten years, and then find a  way out? How has the world changed in a decade, and what surprises await them?
1. Chapter 1

"Liv, I don't think the building can take much more of this."

"But she won't let go!"

The windows in apartment 6B shattered suddenly, sending shards of glass flying in every direction. The anxiety level in both the room and on the street was reaching an all time high as Walter Bishop explained what was happening. The vortex was beginning to open.

The old man locked eyes with the Amber detonator that sat in Broyles' hand. There must be something else they could do. Walter didn't know if he could bear losing his son another time; but it was that, or the whole universe.

"How do I trigger the Amber, Doctor Bishop?"

The scientist's mind raced until finally, he knew there was no other option. He slowly told Broyles how to work the device. The head of the Fringe Division did as he was instructed, but yelled into his radio one last time. "Evacuate, now! Do you hear me? That's a direct order!"

In apartment 6B, Peter and Olivia were doing everything they could to stop Alice and Derek. Peter watched as Olivia pleaded with Alice, only to find that nothing she said could stop the heartbroken old woman. He took a few steps forward and stood directly in front of her; it was his turn to try.

"Alice, please, look at me. You need to let him go."

"I can't. I just can't!"

"I know, but you've already had what most of us only dream of. A lifetime with the person you love." He glanced over to Olivia for a second, and then looked back to Alice. "You need to let him go."

"I'm telling you, I can't do that."

"Dunham, Bishop! Evacuate NOW!"

Phillip Broyles momentary looked at Walter, who was almost trembling next to him. The tall man sighed and put his radio down. The wind whipped around them as the glimmer from 6B got bigger and brighter.

"Doctor Bishop, I'm sorry," Broyles sighed. "I… I can't wait any longer."

Walter looked at him, his eyes begging the man to wait a little longer. Phillip closed his eyelids for a moment as he took in a deep breath. Then, in one swift moment—even though it felt like an eternity—he pulled the pin out from the detonator.

_February 18, 2021_

"We're gathered here today in remembrance of what happened ten years ago. To remember the first release of the Amber, and the agents who sacrificed their lives to save ours."

An older, more worn out Phillip Broyles stood at a podium in front of an apartment building enclosed in a yellow rock-like substance. A huge crowd stood before him, silently listening to his speech.

"Agent Olivia Dunham and Peter Bishop put their lives on the line to stop the cause of the soft spot that night. I deeply regret having to do what we did, but the Amber, developed by the late Walter Bishop, was our only option. Agent Dunham was one of the best agents I ever worked with. She was hard-working and did anything and everything for the cases she worked on. Peter Bishop stood beside her every step of the way, and they, along with Doctor Bishop, surely were the best team Fringe Division had ever seen.

"And so today, we revisit the site to remind us what happened ten years ago. To remind us of the team that did everything they could to stop the soft spot, even if it killed them. They've been trapped in the Amber for ten years, and so far, there's been no way to get them out. But even though they're trapped, they remind us all to be courageous and fearless, and to continue to survive and defeat the Other Side!"

The crowd cheered and clapped as Broyles nodded his head and stepped back into the line of other Fringe Division agents. Agent Astrid Farnsworth smiled at him and clapped with the rest of the crowd.

The world had changed so much in a decade.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for all the positive feedback everyone! I really appreciate it, and I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter as well. Sorry this one isn't too long!

Chapter Two

"_Olivia, this isn't working!" _

"_We have to keep trying! I know she can do it!" _

_Peter frowned, but allowed the agent to continue her work. Neither of them heard her radio go off with Broyles' direct orders. As the wind persistently whirled past and flung objects every which way, the two kept trying. Even as the gas began to fill the room and started to solidify, Agent Dunham pressed on._

The ceremony continued for a few hours, with more Fringe Division agents making speeches and a golden plaque being set up next to the Amber in remembrance of Peter and Olivia at the end. The crowd eventually dispersed as the sun's shift ended and the moon took over. Soft light from the moon and thousands of stars bounced off of the Amber, making it shine once again.

Far above the ground, in the encapsulated room of 6B, three people were being held hostage in the yellow substance. The old woman sat in her chair, just as she had years previously when Agent Dunham had begged her to let go of her husband. Peter and Olivia weren't standing by her side, though. Their faces were not frozen with pleading expressions. In their final moments, the two had been drawn towards each other. They were now fixed in an eternal hug, with Olivia's face buried in Peter's jacket and one of his hands around her, the other in her blonde hair. There in 6B, they had been trapped for years, and unless there was a breakthrough, they would remain there in the small apartment building for decades longer.

At least, that's what everyone believed. It was a logical assumption, too. The Fringe Division had no idea whether or not people Over There had gotten out of the Amber—the only way to know that would have been to talk to Olivia, but that was impossible now. Even the most hopeful people eventually accepted the fact that they would be trapped until a way to break them out was discovered, but who knew how long that would take? It seemed infeasible.

"_Alice, please!"_

_The old woman sat in her chair, smiling at the glowing man in front of her. _

"_Olivia!" Peter cried out, grasping her shoulder and turning her around. _

"_Peter, Peter, I'm sorry," Liv said breathlessly as the Amber moved closer to them. "This is a terrible way to go."_

"_Shhh," Bishop said, bringing her head into his chest as he ran a hand through her golden hair. "I love you." _

_As Olivia started to reply, the yellow rock engulfed them. _

Olivia Dunham opened her eyes.

At first, she looked around slowly, trying to grasp what had happened. It took her a few minutes, but she eventually remembered the events that took place the day before. Or, was it the day before? If they were in Amber, how long had it been since that night? Wait, the Amber…

Olivia tried to move her arms, legs, anything. Nothing seemed to respond. She couldn't even move her head to see if Peter was awake or not. The agent tried to stay calm, but could feel fear rising up from the pit of her stomach. What if she wasn't able to move at all, ever? She would just stand there, breathing and thinking for years.

_No!_, she screamed in her head. _That's_ _not going to happen! It can't!_

And then the Amber cracked.

Agent Farnsworth walked out of her kitchen and into the cozy living room of her apartment with a steaming bowl of noodles in one hand and the TV remote in the other. She sat down on the couch and flicked the television on. Astrid sighed as she moved through the channels, skipping all the news and game shows. Finally, an evening to herself; it was the first she'd had in a while.

To her annoyance, only five minutes and ten bites of dinner passed before her phone began to buzz from its spot on the table in front of her. Astrid set the bowl down and picked up the mobile device. Upon seeing who was calling, part of the annoyance left her face, only to be replaced by a professional look.

"This is Agent Farnsworth."

"Hello, Astrid," Broyles' voice came from the other side of the call. "Sorry to bother you so late, but we've got a top priority job to handle. Meet me at the Amber spot in fifteen minutes."

"Yes sir, but… can I ask what happened?"

"The Amber cracked. Peter and Olivia are back."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

By the time Agent Farnsworth made it to the Amber spot, the area had already been marked off with the standard electronic police tape. The thin yellow light shined brightly as it wrapped around the entire street below the apartment building. As she approached, the agent saw dozens of people running around, taking orders from an extremely worn Broyles as he barked them out. Astrid didn't hesitate in joining in, jumping out of her car and hustling over to where her boss was standing. The police tape beeped as she crossed into the barred off area, reading her badge and letting her through without setting off an alarm.

"Agent Farnsworth," Phillip nodded as she came closer. Astrid managed to send a faint smile his way, but she was too anxious to see what had brought her to the site on the cold evening to make much small talk with him. Broyles quickly noticed her demeanor and wasted no time in pointing out what had happened. He lifted a finger and pointed towards apartment 6B, and Agent Farnsworth eagerly followed it with her eyes. Her jaw dropped slightly when she saw the massive hole in the apartment and yellow substance.

Astrid turned back to her boss, shocked. Her mouth continued to hang loose as she waited for one of the hundred questions she had to pour out of it.

"How did—when—where are—what…?"

"It looks like it happened an hour ago, maybe two," Broyles explained. He rubbed one of his temples for a moment before continuing on. "We don't know where they are, but we're thinking that Olivia's Cortexiphan caused an explosion and allowed them to escape. They couldn't have gotten far though, and after spending ten years in the Amber, they're probably headed straight for the Federal building to get an explanation."

Olivia Dunham did the exact opposite. With her heart pounding like the bass drum in a rocker's truck inside her chest and a very confused Peter at her side, she ran away from the lights of the city as fast as her legs would take her. The two stuck to the shadows and made their way through the back alleys. She didn't have any idea of where they were going. She just kept at it.

An hour later, Peter finally convinced Olivia to stop and take a break. The two ducked down behind a dumpster and caught their breath, the female running her hands through her golden hair as the male wiped the sweat from his brow. They were silent for a long while, both of their minds racing.

"Oli-," Peter began to say, but his voice cracked from not being used for so long. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Olivia… What happened…?"

Agent Dunham stared at the ground as her hand met her hair again. "We were stuck in the Amber. I really don't know how we're here now. I mean, everything was just…" She struggled for the right word, "gone. It was empty and just not there for a while."

Peter nodded. "Yeah, that's how it was for me too." His brow furrowed as he frowned, deep in thought.

"But then, I just opened my eyes and everything was there again. It took me a while to realize what had happened, but when I did, I was so scared. The kind of fear I hadn't really felt since I was a kid. I-I closed my eyes and just willed for it to be over, and when I opened them again, part of the Amber was gone."

"That's when I came around," Peter stated.

Olivia looked up at him, a frightened expression on her face. "I think it was the Cortexiphan."

The silence made its way back into the alley once again, until it was eventually broken by Peter's soft chuckle.

"For once, I don't really mind that Walter conducted those trials." Olivia smiled faintly. "But, Liv… what freaking year is it?"

"I'm not sure," she replied, standing up, and Peter did the same. "We could've been in the Amber for a few months, or we could have been in there for years and years."

"I guess it would be a little suspicious if we asked someone what year it was, too," Bishop smirked. "We need to take a look at a newspaper, then. That is, if newspapers are still in use."

"That's the thing though," Agent Dunham said, "we don't know what's happened during our time in the Amber. What if Fringe Division no longer exists, or what if another World War has happened? What if… the Other Side invaded?"

"Shh, Liv," Peter whispered, striding over to the blonde woman and embracing her. "You're panicking. It'll be okay, I promise. We'll keep running until we find out what has happened. It'll be okay."

"We'll just run?"

"I think you've forgotten who you're partnered up with," he said with a sheepish grin.

After a moment, Olivia chuckled and wrapped her arms around Peter. They stood together for several minutes, almost forgetting their troubles. The blazing police siren brought them back to reality as it whirled past the passageway, however, and caused them to duck down behind the dumpster once again. The two remained there for a few minutes until they were certain the coast was clear. Eventually, they slinked out of the alley and continued their new journey as fugitives into the night.


End file.
